In the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night, the Patriots got a steal when Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez fell to them at the 17th overall pick. Many experts had Gonzalez as the top cornerback in this class heading into the draft.
What can Patriots fans expect from the team’s latest first-round pick? Here’s what some of the top NFL Draft experts have to say about Gonzalez.
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
“Explosive outside cornerback possessing a rare blend of physical and athletic traits. Gonzalez plays with fluid hips and blazing top-end speed, which should help him match against top-end targets in the future. He can rough up the release or use mirror-and-match footwork from press-man coverage and he has all the tools to become a highly capable route shadow. His technique will get away from him at times and he doesn’t play with the level of instincts or ball skills that should make heavy ball production automatic. His testing numbers could send his draft stock skyrocketing, but the ingredients are already present to become a feared CB1 if he plays to his gifts.”
(Source)
Brentley Weissman, The Draft Network
“Christian Gonzalez has been a three-year starter in college football, playing his first two seasons at the University of Colorado. He then transferred to the University of Oregon for his final season where he established himself as one the best corners in the class.
Gonzalez is a long and lean corner with outstanding overall athleticism. He offers excellent size with the height and length to match up against opposing teams’ No. 1 receivers on the boundary. Gonzalez is a cover corner who flashes the ability to lock down his side of the field. Gonzalez is an outstanding man defender who shows the foot quickness, change of direction, and flexibility to match route combinations and stay connected at the top of the routes. He has the ability to flip his hips and carry vertically with excellent long speed. He is excellent in press coverage utilizing a well-timed punch at the line to disrupt the receiver and shows patient feet to consistently stay in front and in phase throughout the stem.
Gonzalez flashes outstanding instincts and awareness in zone coverage and is able to read the quarterback’s eyes while keying in on moving targets in his zone. He is an easy mover dropping in coverage and flashes excellent short-area quickness to close on anything thrown in front of him. With his long arms, Gonzalez is able to win most 50/50 situations and is able to knock the ball down at the catch point.
Once considered a weakness, Gonzalez showed drastic improvement with his ball skills as he set career highs in interceptions in 2022 (4). He is a very good open-field tackler and does not shy away from physicality and oftentimes looks to bring it.
As a lean corner, bigger and stronger receivers can out-muscle him through the stem creating separation. Adding strength will be something Gonzalez needs to do at the next level.
Overall, Gonzalez offers prototypical physical attributes with his size, length, and athleticism and he pairs his elite traits with outstanding instincts and refined technique. He has the potential to be a lockdown corner at the next level and could develop into a Pro Bowl player early in his career.”
(Source)
Cory Giddings, Bleacher Report
“Christian Gonzalez is a top cornerback in this year’s draft with very good length and size. He displays great movement skills for his size and is a fluid athlete with loose hips to swivel and run. He does a good job of sinking his hips to get out of breaks, though he often has a slower transition, which allows separation from receivers downfield. Combined with his transition, he tends to round his breaks at the top of routes, causing him to be slower in closing the gap.
Gonzalez has shown the versatility to play both press man and off man coverages, excelling in press and showing the lateral movement skills to mirror at the line of scrimmage. He does a good job of using his hands to reroute receivers and quickly gets in phase. When carrying receivers downfield, he has shown the speed to match his threats, while also getting his head around to locate and play the ball. There are times where he can be too handsy and unnecessarily tug on the receiver’s jersey.
Gonzalez quickly finds the ball and attacks it in the air. At times, he can run the route for receivers and capitalize by catching the ball with strong hands away from his body.
When playing the run, he does a very good job of identifying the play and coming up quickly to support. He quickly defeats blocks with speed or through the use of his hands. When tackling, he does a great job of closing ground and taking out the legs of ball-carriers. He typically is a wrap tackler, but there are times when he dives at ankles. Ultimately, he is a secure tackler who plays his part in the run game.”
(Source)
Kyle Stackpole, CBS Sports
“Christian Gonzalez has great length and good top-end speed to be a man coverage cornerback in the NFL. He can improve as a press man coverage cornerback by landing his jams more consistently. Despite improved ball production, Gonzalez can do a better job of getting his head back to the ball and breaking down his feet to tackle in space.”
(Source)
Pete Hernandez, DraftKings
“At 6’1” and 197 lbs Gonzalez possesses a nice combination of size, strength, and speed that will serve him well in lining up against the NFL’s best wideouts. The Oregon product recorded a 4.38 40-yard dash with a 41.5” vertical jump at the combine, which illustrates his capability of lining up at the line of scrimmage and defending opposing receivers either man-to-man or in zone coverage.
The tangibles overlook some of the growth opportunities for Gonzalez, who can work to be a bit better in anticipating throws and turning his head around a bit quicker when tracking the ball downfield. While he’s coming off back-to-back seasons with 50-plus total tackles, he stands to benefit from being a more balanced tackler in the open field.
NFL.com analyst Lance Zurlein has Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as a viable comparison, with a prospect grade of 6.70 (Year 1 starter). According to NFL.com, an NFC team Personnel director commented about Gonzalez, “He’s got size, he’s strong, he can run, he’s long. I want all of that. He just needs to keep working at his craft.”
Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.
